The Cosmic Significance or Amazing Coincidence of May 17 in My Life

"It could mean that that point in time inherently contains some sort of cosmic significance. Almost as if it were the temporal junction point for the entire space-time continuum. On the other hand, it could just be an amazing coincidence."- Dr. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future II

May 17 comes and goes every year. But for me, it seems to have either cosmic significance or amazing coincidence in turning points in my life.

My first kiss was delivered by someone whose birthday is May 17.
My first college graduation was held on May 17.
My Masters of Divinity Degree from Christian Theological Seminary was presented to me on May 17, ten years after my first college degree, almost to the exact hour!
Our family friend contractor also has a birthday on... you guess it, May 17.
Several of my dear friends celebrate their birthday with my family friend contractor... May 17.

I take a wary eye towards May 17, 2018... is an unknown doctorate to be presented on that future date?  It happens to be a Thursday...

For me, the jury is out on my temporal junction point for the entire space-time continuum or an amazing coincidence...

God, Churches, and Nash Metropolitans

Many of you are aware of my love affair with a piece of Anglo-American engineering from the

1950s. In our single car garage rests our 1959 Nash Metropolitan, a guaranteed head-turner of

automobile history.
 

The Metropolitan was developed by Nash in the post World War II era as the first compact car

to be marketed as a second car for suburban housewives. While father went to work in the
family Nash Ambassador, mother would be able to pick up small children, groceries, etc. during the
day in a second vehicle that would average 35 mpg, literally pennies per gallon (back when fuelcosts were at most 17¢).

Metropolitans remained part of the line-up after the merger between Nash and Hudson to
form American Motors Company (with George Romney as president), and were designed by an
American, William Flajole, built in Longbridge, England (where Austins and MGs were already
made), and imported for the showroom price of $1495. They were built between 1954-1961, before
Romney eliminated the line for the more popular and profitable Rambler.

There is much to love about owning a Metropolitan. It is a guaranteed car show crowd

pleaser. When I picked up our vehicle from a high ridge in Missouri and my brother was towing it
home, he was amazed at the numbers of car horns, women waving and guys giving thumbs up to a car best described as what happens when a Bel-Air and a bathtub get together. Its z stripe division of paint, continental spare tire on the rear, and sparse interior gives major points to its "cute" appeal.

There is much to hate about owning a Metropolitan. It has a British engine, which
guarantees oil leakage. No power steering, so turning is like docking the Titanic. Wiring was by
Lucas, also known as Prince of Darkness for its odd electrical faults. Original wiring system includes a
generator and a positive-ground system. Its braking system is a single cylinder, drum brakes. Metropolitans hate cold weather to start in, and with Illinois winters can be expected to demand winter quarters for several weeks. Early models (before 1959) did not have access to the rear trunk except through the rear bench "seat," which has limited head room to begin with for accommodating more than three passengers.

I wonder if my Nash Metropolitan is like how people outside the church view God and churches.

They think of God and church as relics of a by-gone era. Some concepts of God seem as quaint as a
1950s car: nice to look at but I would not want to live that way. Some concepts of church may feel
that way, as many congregations strain resources in trying to keep a 1950s General Motors style of
governance running. What current industry leader still divides the work among "functional" committees, with chair persons (only recently updated from chairman in the previously mimeographed copies of constitutions and by-laws).

Some people do seem to even attend church as if it was a vintage car show. Come see the

Christmas service for a flashback to nostalgia! Join Grandma, or Grandpa for the Easter Sunday
service, singing the same hymns as you did when you were a child!

I do not believe that either church or God are relics of a by-gone era. Metropolitans may have
had their time on America’s roadways, but it does not mean that transportation is no longer needed. The same is true with the church. In a world hungry for meaning, and purpose, the gospel of Jesus Christ still leads each of us forward. Maybe door-to-door distribution of salvation materials are like tailfins added to a Toyota Prius, but sharing your faith struggles is still a powerful stimulus to others.

Maybe the church is guilty of “selling” Nash Metropolitans versions of God and church in a

Toyota Prius world. We are answering questions that no one even asks anymore. We are
questioning things that no one even questions now. In this season of Easter, may we be reminded
that God is living with, for, and calling us ahead to be not relics but living examples of God's love for all